GRESB conducts an annual survey of real estate owners, asking them to provide sustainability data about their real estate holdings. GRESB asked me to help bring their survey process online in 2013 and redesign their entire suite of data products in 2014.

GRESB needs good data entered into the database to generate accurate benchmarks and scores for each real estate portfolio. The survey is filled out by employees of real estate holding companies who are busy juggling multiple responsibilities. It’s long too. Over 50 multiple choice questions, including document uploads, need to be completed over a period of months.

SOLUTION: Ease the burden of filling out the survey.The previous survey presented every question in full, which was overwhelming. My design solution offers one or two questions at a time and hides everything else. If a question needs more information to be completed, it expands. If not, people can answer it quickly and move on without scanning past unnecessary text.

I also designed progress indicators into the survey’s navigation tools. This does two things: it helps people feel like they are “getting to done”, bit by bit, and it lets them jump around the survey answering what they can now. User testing showed that people felt more comfortable completing each section in this non-linear fashion.

GRESB presents data on 49,000 properties from around the globe and their aggregate reports can span hundreds of pages. To help people navigate the reports, I developed a page structure with sticky headers that give context to the data.

I also created a color palette, unique indicator icons and solutions for charts and graphs that keep GRESB reports readable in both online and printable PDF formats.

The design system I created for reporting also extends into the GRESB public site. It positions GRESB as a financial technology company and highlights their social mission of promoting sustainability in real estate.